accessory nerve

accessory nerve   n.  Either of the 11th pair of cranial nerves, which convey motor impulses to the pharynx and muscles of the upper thorax, back, and shoulders.

Main Entry: accessory nerve
Function: noun
: either of a pair of motor nerves that are the 11th cranial nerves, arise from the medulla and the upper part of the spinalcord, and supply chiefly the pharynx and muscles of the upper chest, back, and shoulders called also accessorius, accessory, spinal accessory nerve

accessory nerve n.
A nerve that arises by two sets of roots: the cranial set, arising from the side of the medulla, and the spinal set, arising from the ventrolateral part of the first five cervical segments of the spinal cord. These two roots form the accessory nerve trunk, which divides into two branches: the internal, which unites with the vagus nerve in the jugular foramen and supplies the muscles of the pharynx, larynx, and soft palate; and the external, which continues through the jugular foramen to supply the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles. Also called eleventh cranial nerve.